Dogs are Man's best friend. They go everywhere we do, with rare exception. From professional service dogs, to guide dogs, to the family pet, Canis familiaris can be found nearly every place people go. Often, service dogs also go places that are dangerous or impossible for a human to go. It is imperative, for several reasons, to people to provide for the hydration and nutrition needs of domesticated dogs.
Providing for a dog can be made easier if a portable, collapsible vessel or bowl were available. A person walking a dog could attach such a vessel to a water bottle, or stuff the vessel in a pocket. Then, when it is time to feed or water the dog, the vessel can deploy, assuming a shape useful for holding kibble or water. Such a vessel would be especially useful as a water bowl, because dogs are particularly adapted to drinking water by lapping it up against gravity, rather than sipping or gulping as from a cup or bottle, where gravity assists the flow of water. Observing a dog drinking water poured from a bottle reveals significant inefficiency and waste.
Unexpectedly, Applicant has invented collapsible vessels suitable for use as a water bowl or food bowl for a dog or other pet. In some cases, a collapsible vessel according to the present invention can be folded, scrunched, twisted, stuffed, or squashed into a small, portable wad, which will then spring back into a shape suitable for holding water or food when needed for as long as desired.